The mother of a five-year-old autistic boy who died after falling from his family's 15th-floor flat told an inquest that her son would still be alive if the local council had fulfilled its responsibilities.

Aalim Ahmed died on May 16, 2024, after falling from a kitchen window of his family's flat in the Jacobs House block in Plaistow, east London. His body was discovered by his father shortly after the fall.

At the inquest at Walthamstow Coroner's Court, Aalim's mother, Sahra Osman, stated she was apprehensive and horrified when Newham Council assigned her family to the top-floor flat in February 2023. The family, including another toddler and Ms. Osman's partner, found the residence unsuitable from the outset. Ms. Osman, who was pregnant at the time of moving in, said the council advised her to accept the flat and file a complaint about safety concerns to avoid homelessness.

Ms. Osman speculated that her son might have been attempting to reach a biscuit from a cupboard near the window when he fell. She noted that Aalim had been diagnosed with autism and lacked a sense of danger. The flat's windows, she claimed, had faulty restrictors, and her attempts to have them repaired resulted in multiple workmen visiting without resolving the issue.

"I did everything I could as a mum to help my son," Ms. Osman stated emotionally to Sandesh Singh, representing the council. "You guys could have prevented this tragic thing from happening. If you had done your job, he could have been here."

She told the inquest that she believed Newham Council had failed her as a mother and a tenant. Ms. Osman asserted that she had repeatedly communicated her safety concerns, which she felt were ignored by the council. She also mentioned informing the council about her son's autism diagnosis, providing a GP letter, and that others aware of his condition had written to the council expressing the family's need to be moved from the unsafe flat.

Engineers visited the flat to assess repairs, but Ms. Osman contended that the residence remained unsafe due to open windows. She stated that the windows were typically closed before bedtime, but her toddler's cries of "Aalim," "window," and "outside" alerted the family to the emergency. Ms. Osman's partner, witnessing the scene from the kitchen window, was overcome with shock upon seeing his son's pajamas.

Aalim's father, Makail Ahmed, described the moment as "disbelief – it was a nightmare." He rushed to the ground floor and discovered his son's body, while neighbors called emergency services.

Earlier in the hearing, Ms. Osman recounted an incident in January 2024 when a window engineer visited. She demonstrated that all windows in the flat could still be opened. She had requested safety devices, known as restrictors, for all windows, noting that the bedroom window could be left "just open wide," which she found frightening and unsafe. The engineer reportedly indicated he would attempt repairs, but within a day, a window restrictor was found on the floor.

Ms. Osman contacted the council to complain, pleading for assistance. She told the inquest that a window "was wide open, it would not lock, it was hanging," and she requested to speak with a manager. She emphasized the safety implications for her children, but the council did not categorize it as an "emergency." She added that the restrictors were ineffective, serving only as decoration, and expressed frustration over the lengthy response times from the council, which could take months.

The council suggested that the engineer was not informed of issues with the kitchen window restrictor, only problems in the living room. However, Ms. Osman insisted she had reported problems in all rooms of the flat to the workmen and accused the council of not taking her situation seriously enough.

Assistant coroner Ian Wade acknowledged the profound loss experienced by Aalim's family and community, stating, "I am very conscious that this should never have happened but how it happened remains to be seen." The hearing is ongoing.